1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to diesel engines and, more particularly, to the timing of diesel engines by inserting a pin into a depression on e flywheel to lock the engine to a predetermined orientation of the crankshaft for timing purposes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,016 (Cameron et al) discloses a timing pin assembly for a diesel engine. The apparatus includes a threaded portion which is secured to a bell housing of a diesel engine. A spring biased piston extends through the bell housing and into a depression or detent in the fly wheel of the diesel engine. When the detent is aligned with the aperture in the bell housing through which the pin extends, the pin engages the detent to lock the flywheel, and accordingly the crankshaft and camshaft, in their predetermined locations. The locations are either at the 0 degree or 180 degree locations of the camshaft. The timing of the valves and fuel injection is made in reference to both the 0 degree and 180 degree location.
The pin in the '016 patent is manually retracted by a finger secured to the pin. The finger extends outwardly from the housing of the pin for the manual retraction.
The apparatus may be secured to the bell housing and the pin will be spring biased against the flywheel. The engine is turned over until the depression or detent in the flywheel is aligned with the pin, and the bias of the compression spring against the pin moves the pin into the detent to lock the flywheel in the desired location.
Due to the designs of diesel engines, and to the close quarters in which the timing pin apparatus is used, it is sometimes very difficult to manually retract the timing lock pin. The apparatus of the present invention overcomes such a manual retraction problem by providing an automatic retraction.